TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE NEED TO HEAL THE DEEP DIVIDES IN THE NATION'S COMMUNITIES IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A MORE EQUITABLE AND JUST SOCIETY, AND TO RECOGNIZE JANUARY 17, 2017 AS A NATIONAL DAY OF HEALING, SPONSORED BY W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION.

Whereas, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and broad coalition, working with more than one hundred thirty partners in its Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation enterprise, calls for a National Day of Healing on January 17, 2017; and

Whereas, activities on this day, run by community, civic, government, and corporate leaders, will strengthen efforts to heal the wounds created by racial, ethnic, and religious bias in America's urban, rural, and suburban communities; and

Whereas, the National Day of Healing is a response to the broad call for healing following the contentious rhetoric, hate crimes, vivid expressions of racism, and stories of children crying from fear and anxiety. Calls for healing have come from both President Obama and President-elect Trump, as well as thirty-two states; and

Whereas, the National Day of Healing will kick off a year-long effort to bring healing to different parts of this country, as a follow-up to December's Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Summit, where five hundred seventy representatives from committed organizations and communities gathered in Carlsbad, California, to discuss implementation of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation in communities; and

Whereas, in order to build bridges, the nation's people must come to a shared understanding of their collective past and of the structures, policies, practices, and systems that divide us. Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation will provide a collective commitment and long-term determination to embrace a new narrative for the nation based on a belief in our common humanity; and

Whereas, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation was founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg and today stands one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes, to improve conditions for vulnerable children; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate commend these efforts to ensure that the progress we have made in terms of race relations and racial justice and healing is not permitted to slip backward. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, acknowledge the need to heal the deep divides in the nation's communities in order to establish a more equitable and just society, and recognize January 17, 2017 a National Day of Healing, sponsored by W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.